Concealed carry permit holders may now possess firearms on West Virginia public college and university campuses following implementation of the Campus Self-Defense Act. The act went into effect July 1. The bill began moving through the legislature in 2023, now joining 11 other states that have passed similar laws. 

The new law allows institutions to implement exceptions, such as restricting the carrying of firearms in areas where mental health services are provided and locations where faculty or student disciplinary proceedings are taking place. Firearms will be prohibited at events with a capacity greater than 1,000 spectators and where alcohol is sold, such as sports stadiums and arenas. On-campus daycare facilities will also be a no-go for concealed carry. 

While regulation is permitted in residential halls, permit holders will not be restricted in common spaces, from lounges and dining halls to study areas. Institutions will be required to provide secure storage locations for handguns in at least one residential hall on campus or, for a possible fee, make safes available in individual rooms. 

West Virginia University, with over 25,000 students spread across multiple campuses, estimates a cost of $1 million to implement the law, with a newly formed campus safety group overseeing integration. Currently, the university is offering gun lockers to students living in residential halls at a cost of $140 per semester, and requests have started to roll in with school just starting. 

As is to be expected, the law is not without criticism from all the usual suspects, including the presidents of West Virginia’s largest learning institutions. They urged lawmakers to allow individual schools to make their own decisions regarding whether or not to allow firearms on campus, voicing concerns about students with mental health challenges. The stance seems intentionally short-sighted, as a criminal who would take the lives of innocent people is highly unlikely to pay mind to the lesser crime of carrying weapons into a restricted area. It also begs the question as to whether campus leaders and opponents of the law would take legal and financial responsibility for the injury or death of a concealed carry permit holder who, stripped of their ability to carry on campus, was denied effective means of self-defense. It is fair to say we know that no such accountability should be expected. 

Weeks after the Campus Self-Defense Act went into effect, there is really no news to report. The only change is the addition of stickers and signs designating restricted areas. Some of these areas include laboratories and private offices by request of particular staff.

“If it’s a restricted area, there’ll just be signage. It’s the responsibility of the person carrying the weapon to know where they can and cannot go,” said Marshall Police Chief Jim Terry.

The uneventful implementation of the new law should come as no surprise as law-abiding gun owners do not spontaneously morph into mass shooters the moment they are permitted to carry. While that statement stands alone, steeped in reason and logic, it is noteworthy to add that acquiring a permit means that individuals have cleared background checks and received training in order to practice the right. 

The reality of concealed carry is that people practice it everywhere due to concerns for personal safety, regardless of laws restricting it. The truth is that you never know when a firearm is present in everyday life. You could be shopping at your favorite store, enjoying a stroll in the park or congregating at your place of worship. For all we know, there could have been countless concealed weapons, firearms or otherwise, on campus for years prior to the Campus Self-Defense Act.

“If a person’s going to carry, they’re going to carry,” Terry said. “I don’t see a big cultural shift here. I think it’ll go very smooth, and it’ll implement, and then next year, nobody will be talking about it.” 

With campus violence being a hot-button issue, it comes as no surprise that liberty-minded individuals continue to pursue avenues to take personal responsibility for their safety. Laws themselves are meant to protect law-abiding citizens, not restrict them from protecting themselves, a principle that is at the foundation of the Campus Self-Defense Act, but has not yet permeated the minds of 2A abolitionists.  At the end of the day, society always benefits when reason and logic prevail. Perhaps Police Chief  Jim Terry said it best, “Education and communication is the key to anything, and that’s what we’re going to try to do to provide a safe environment.”

Let us know in the comments below what you think on the subject of concealed carry on campus. 

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31 COMMENTS

    • The rivers of blood tend to flow in areas with the most legislative and regulatory dams.

    • There won’t be any, but writing an article pointing that out before fall classes have even started is a bit premature.

      • All those folks walking around with guns. somebody is almost bound to get shot. Of course, some bad thing is bound to happen anyway. And at least it probably won’t be a high score event, like VT was. And Uvalde, etc…

        Armed resistance reduces casualties.

  2. I carried (almost) every night at the college where I earned my Masters in Education at night. No one was harmed.

  3. Those who restrict the rights of others should take full responsibility for any damages occurring even if the damages occur in route to the venue that restricts carry rights. The venue would argue that it’s not our fault you were shot a block from our location. True, but it is your fault that I was left unprepared to protect myself as a result of your “no weapons allowed” signs. The criminal is still going to do as he pleases.

    • “miner49er is a prof at MU“

      Is that what the law calls doxxing?

      Too bad you’re wrong, probably not actionable in that case.

      And carry of firearms on university campus (with permit) in WV was already legal.

      • It’s only illegal if its meant to cause harm or danger to another. And since I didn’t name you it is not doxxing.

        You’re such a drama queen.

      • “Is that what the law calls doxxing?”

        No Miner49er, it isn’t. But, if you were not the typical violent radical extremist left winger with their typical confirmation bias and not understanding context you would have realized that with a little bit of, ya know, that thing you know nothing about like all typical violent radical extremist left wingers, that thing called ‘actual research’.

  5. I’m a dad who lived through this same headline in Texas. My son attended a TA&M campus that was known for problems. Funny thing, the problems occurred off campus. My son mostly avoided those places known for problems, instead going to class, and going to work. He met some of those people who weren’t worth killing, but he didn’t hang out with them. I’m happy to say, he never had to use his concealed carry.

    To state the obvious – guns don’t kill, people kill.

    • Carry anyway discretely. I pocket carry especially in Indiana. Constitutional carry don’tchaknow🙄

  6. West Virginia is easily the best state in the country for firearms. Go ahead, try to change my mind.

    • When I lived there you had to be connected to get a carry permit. Looking at states like WV then and CA now it seems that only well to do white men get permits.

      It’s no wonder miner49er likes permits. Keeps the poors and the coloreds in line.

  14. Murder has been illegal for a very long time. Seems those with criminal or evil intent just don’t pay much attention to words on paper.
    No matter what weapon is used it takes a human mind and a human hand to wield it.
    Perhaps we should deal with the human part of the equation instead of the hardware used.

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